Longtime board member Tom Neeley said the purchase culminates a search process that began several years ago and involved multiple school boards and superintendents.

Efforts to find property for the growing district intensified in 2008 with the hiring of Morton attorney Jim Benckendorff to guide the search.

Board members said they heard a great deal of feedback — not all positive — from residents after the proposed purchase was announced a month ago, and they appreciated the comments and questions.

They said the price is fair and they emphasized there are no immediate plans for the land.

"I'll admit I had sticker shock when I first saw the price, but the value of the land has doubled since 2008," said board member Shaun Bill.

"With that in mind, it's not a horrible price. We're not going to find anything cheaper."

Board member John Applen said the purchase isn't going to be embraced by everyone.

"And we need to understand that," he said. "But there's a perception that we're going to build something on the land soon. Nothing can be further from the truth. The land simply gives us options."

Board member Tim Taylor said it could be two years or 50 years before the land is used.

"The bottom line is — we have it," he said.

Kelly Scarfe said the land purchase is the kind of forward-looking decision she hoped she would be involved in when she ran for the board earlier this year.

The parcel begins a half-mile south of Queenwood Road, continues south, and is bounded on the east by Fourth and west by Prairie Creek.

It's a few blocks south of the district offices on Fourth.

Also Tuesday, Applen expressed concerns about the size and cost of the office/storage/kitchen/meeting room building for district transportation staff being constructed at the new school bus storage facility next to the Morton Fire Station.

The building is just less than 14,000 square feet and the cost is nearly $210,000.

Superintendent Lindsey Hall said the building will meet the transportation staff's needs even with a $70,000 reduction in the original cost when the project was scaled back.

Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Read his Stein Time blog on pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.